Problem
by Little Miss MmMm
Summary: Sirius is a fearless marauder and he likes girls. Until one day in potions when a curious phenomenon catches his eye... okay the summary sucks but I'm sure you get the jist ... SB/RL. Slash and WILL get smutty so don't say you weren't warned!
1. Chapter 1

Okay I would just like to say before I start, this story is a first for four things for me – it's my first time writing in the present tense, first time writing from a character's point of view, my first time writing smut, and my first time writing a story that isn't just a one-shot. There's no smut in the first chapter but don't worry, there will be once I build up enough balls to write it

It's from Sirius' point of view and I would like to add that I own nothing here except the plot. Hope you enjoy, and I would really appreciate reviews, especially to advise me on whether or not I should continue the story in present tense and/or from Sirius' point of view. Thanks! Now on with the story .......

**Chapter One: Trouble**

God Almighty. Slughorn can be so boring sometimes. I yawn with my cheek firmly squashed into my hand which is holding my head up. Looking around for a distraction from my boredom, my eyes fall on a curious phenomenon directly in front of me. Remus is hunched over his book, deciphering his potion, and just _there_ in the nape of his neck is a slight hollow. A curious urge to lean over and just lightly press my lips against that hollow comes over me. I can't help but stare, there's something _beautiful _and _tender _about it ... what's my reason for not kissing it? Oh yeah, he's my best mate ... Wait a second ... I'm staring at the back of my best mate's _neck _for crying out loud! What's the matter with me? God you'd think I didn't have enough girl trouble to worry about.

Yeah. I said trouble. It's strange, I used to love the attention, it used to make me feel so proud but recently it has actually annoyed me. But there's no escape, everywhere I look there's another girl looking at me with batting eyelids or giggling and blushing and it _annoys _me. I've been on my fair share of dates but the most I've ever done is kiss. It used to bother me until I realised that I have no curiosity whatsoever as to what lies under a girl's robes. Then _that _started to bother me. What boy of my age doesn't want to see a girl naked? _A gay one. _The thought keeps reverberating around my head but it doesn't seem to fit – I don't exactly have any sort of urge to see what lies under any other guy's robes. Until now ... just that smooth little hollow is giving me the sort of fluttery breath that I hear in girls all the time when I kiss them ...

"OUCH!"

James just nudged me hard in the ribs. Woops ... guess I must have spaced out for a minute – there's a thin line of saliva slowly dripping out of my mouth and landing in a growing puddle on my desk. I wonder if James has noticed. Well he's raising his eyebrows at me – I guess so ... but he seems impatient and I wonder why until he nods his head towards the front of the class. Snivellus is almost inside his cauldron he's studying his potion so hard.

"Fancy sending Snivellus for a swim?" says James with a wicked smile. I'm still rather inclined towards the boy at the table in front of me and hope that James is too eager to prank Snape to worry about my reaction – I just smirk and nod my head. James conveys the message to Wormtail who's working beside Remus and I see the latter roll his eyes and shake his head at his potion. My gaze is so intent on that hollow in the back of Remus' neck that all else escapes my notice until I hear a loud 'CRASH' that indicates the success of James' prank. I jump and look up just in time to see Snape's head emerge from his overturned cauldron, face flushed and hair thickening rapidly, growing down past his shoulders and out almost at arm's length from his head. I snigger but turn toward my own cauldron trying to figure out what the hell I'm supposed to be doing so that Slughorn doesn't blame me. Fortunately, Peter and James are rolling around on the floor laughing which is a dead give-away and gets me off the hook. Slughorn sends Snape to the hospital wing and spends the rest of the lesson shouting at Peter and James, giving me peace to drool into my desk again.

Later on, when James and Peter are in detention, I lie on my back on a sofa in the common room throwing a quaffle in the air and catching it again. Remus is sitting on the floor, legs stretched out and his back against the sofa working on an essay. Somehow, he changes to sitting cross-legged and as my eye is caught again by the way his neck leans over his book, the quaffle comes straight down, bounces off my slack hand and hits Remus on the shoulder before hitting the floor and rolling away. Remus starts and glares around at me.

"Sorry ... I dropped the ball ..." I mumble sheepishly. Remus smirks and rolls his eyes.

"Well if I'm going to get any work done I suppose I may go to bed early and work up in the dormitory. Night Pads." He flashes me a grin that makes my breath catch and I huskily mutter back "Night Moony."

_What the hell is wrong with me? It's Remus! Why is he making me feel like this?_

After another hour or so lying on the sofa playing with the quaffle and trying to think of anything but Remus, I get fed up and head for the dormitory to get the Marauder's Map so that I could maybe sneak down to the kitchen for some food. I walk in quietly in case Remus is asleep but stop in my tracks at the doorway. There it is. Again. Christ, this is torture! The back of his neck is just so exposed to my frantic, desperate lips ... I almost feed the impulse to close the distance between us in one bound to press my lips against it but just as I am about to act on it, he turns his head. "Oh, hey Sirius. I'm almost done, then I swear I'll turn out the light," he says hurriedly.

I just stare. Then I realise that he may have mistaken my hesitance on entering the room as annoyance that I wouldn't be able to sleep with the light on. "Oh, that's fine Moony. I'm actually just thinking of going down to the kitchens. Do you want anything up?"

He doesn't look up from his work but says, "Would you mind waiting for me? I'd love a walk to stretch my legs, I swear I'll only be another two minutes!"

Crap. I'm going to have to sit here and do everything I can not to stare at his neck. "Sure, give me a shout when you're ready."

Oh dear God. I _was_ worried about staring at his neck. But every time he reads over a previous sentence or looks for inspiration on what else to write, his quill comes up to his mouth and he just sucks it and chews on it ... I grow hot around the collar and try and concentrate on finding the Map, which turns out to be under James' pillow. Great. I found it too fast. Remus is still nibbling on his quill ...

I go to the bathroom to throw cold water over my face and unbutton my shirt so that I can wet my neck too. And of course, this is the part where Remus walks in to say he's ready to go. He's caught off guard by my shirt gaping open and starts before blushing and walking back out to wait. Since when does Remus blush? Oh well. I button up and exit the bathroom and say to Remus, who's biting his lip, "Let's go then."

It's a quiet walk down to the kitchens. It's slightly awkward at first but we sort of ease into it. That's the great thing about being with Remus - it's so easy to be silent without feeling awkward or a need to fill the gaps with meaningless conversation. Once we pile up on pastries and buns and pumpkin juice (and in Remus' case, chocolate), we slowly head back to Gryffindor Tower, laughing about James and Peter's pranks, wondering what Slughorn is making them do and wondering whether Snape's hair was back to its usual greasy self yet. We go up to our dormitory and pool all our food on Remus' bed, sharing and just chatting about all sorts until we gradually fall asleep, still fully dressed and surrounded by food on Remus' bed.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys, thanks for the reviews, sorry it's taken so long to update, my internet connection has been messed up the last few days. Well here's my attempt at chapter two!

I wake up to a shaft of sunlight peeping across the dormitory and start to stir before I open my eyes. Hang on. Something doesn't feel quite right ...

I open my eyes and try to move my fingers. GROSS! There's a sticky white substance surrounding my entire outline and making it hard to move. I glance across at Remus to see if he's the culprit but then I see that he has the same thing done to him. Aw. Look at him sleeping. His eyelashes are making delicious shadows below his eyes and he's wearing a slight frown. His eyelids start to flutter and I start, not wanting him to catch me looking at him like a poof. I concentrate on sitting up and discover that the white sticky stuff is in fact cream from some of the buns and pastries we were eating last night and the buns themselves are smooshed up into crumbs all over my robes. Nice.

"JAMES!" I yell into the dormitory. James is so startled he jumps and falls out of bed. I try to hold back a snigger and attempt to look furious. "WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE TO US? YOU DO REALISE THIS WILL TAKE FOREVER TO COME OUT?"

James scrambles to his feet and pauses, looking at me. Then he lets out a howl of laughter. Peter is rubbing his eyes to see what the commotion is and looks at me sniggering as well.

"IT'S – NOT – FUNNY!" I yell, whacking James with a pillow. He can't even defend himself, he's laughing so hard. I give it up as a bad job and go to the bathroom to clean up. I don't even notice that Remus is following until I'm about to close the bathroom door.

He gives a small smile, licks his thumb and presses it to my cheek before rubbing it. Wow. I deserve a medal for not jumping on him right now... I glance in the mirror and realise there are two big dollops of jam on my cheeks and I groan. Oh. Remus steps back and grins before going over to the showers. I shake off my robes from yesterday and splash water over myself, rubbing as hard as I can at the jam on my face. Great. Looks like jam leaves stains. How fun. I go over to the showers, past Remus who is determinedly covering himself with a towel while trying to take off his clothes (I try desperately not to offer help) and I go and wash all the cream, crumbs and jam away.

When I get out of the shower, I see Remus' silhouette against the shower curtain next to me. _Seriously, how did this happen? I'm actually fighting the urge to rip back the curtain! I'm a man possessed!_

I mentally shake myself and re-enter the dormitory in my towel, giving a pointed dirty look to James before throwing my trunk on my bed, jumping in and shutting the curtains. I rummage through my trunk looking for a spare pair of robes. I hear the bathroom door close, meaning that Remus has successfully covered up his body again... damn it... what I wouldn't give to see what he hides so protectively... _NO! DAMN IT! STOP THINKING THINGS LIKE THAT!_

I slap my hands into the sides of my trunk to vent my frustration as I hear him padding along to his bed at the other side of mine. Just as I pull out a pair of clean boxers, Remus pops his head through my curtains. My eyes widen as I pull the covers up to my chin before blushing and realising I'm not in fact a girl. I try to laugh it off as a joke. Remus half smirks then sits cross legged in front of me. He's wearing a pair of jeans and a baggy plain black t-shirt for the occasion of a Hogsmeade trip later today. "What's up?" I ask.

Remus shifts slightly and stares at the boxers in my hand. "I was just wondering ... you slept in my bed last night ..." he mumbles. I frown, confused. "Yeah ... sorry, I didn't mean to-" I begin to say but he shakes his head frantically and says, "No, no that's not what I meant!"

I pause and raise my eyebrow. He fumbles uncomfortably for a second then hesitantly he whispers, "I don't want you to think I'm a fag or anything" (I squirm inwardly) "but it's just that last night was the first time in years I haven't woken up screaming of a nightmare ..."

I stare at him and realise he's right. The rest of us have woken up every morning for the past six years to the sound of Remus yelling and thrashing and I'm usually the only one he lets near him to comfort him. But this morning, nothing. I swallow. "So ... what are you saying?" I ask, my throat oddly dry.

He hesitates again. "Well like I said, I don't want you to think I'm a poof but I think the company helped ..." he trails off and sub-consciously scratches at my bed sheets with his long delicate fingers. I swallow again. "So do you want me to stay in your bed with you or do you want me to find you a girl to share your bed ...?" I'm kind of confused but for some reason find myself wishing and hoping it's me he wants to share his bed with ...

He looks surprised. Uh oh. I've obviously blown it ... he's going to wonder why I even suggested me staying with him. I blush again and look down and am surprised to see I'm still holding my boxers.

Remus clears his throat quietly. "Well, I, uh, sort of thought maybe, um, _you _wouldn't mind staying with me? Even just for one more night just to see if it wasn't just fluke ..."

My heart stutters. Oh my God. This is amazing. No wait, it's a nightmare. What the _hell _am I going to do? If I sleep with him I might not be able to control myself, but if I don't then I'm going to hurt his feelings! And if he really believes I kept his nightmare away then I obviously want to help him!

I look up into his eyes. He's watching me apprehensively, biting his lower lip. "Of course I'll stay. Of course I will," I hear myself saying.

_Damn._

Later that day when we're in Hogsmeade, Remus and Peter depart to look for new quills, leaving James and I to go to Zonkos to stock up on joke merchandise. As I absent-mindedly wander around the store, I suddenly notice James frowning at me. "What?" I ask, surprised. He continues to study me for a moment then says, "Something's different. You're different but I can't put my finger on it."

My eyes widen for a second then I shrug. "You're probably imagining it mate, there's nothing different. Honest."

I can tell he doesn't believe me as he narrows his eyes slightly. "You almost seem to remind me of _me_ a bit," he continues making me pull a confused face. "You have the same sort of attitude I'm beginning to have regarding Lily," he says.

I continue to be confused. What does he mean I have a James-loves-Lily attitude? Have I been making it that obvious?

"Oh I don't know anymore, she obviously hates my guts and I don't know why I bother. It kills me that I like her so much but I can't ever have her. She barely even _looks _at me anymore," he says a little sadly. I wonder if he really saw himself in me or if he just wanted an excuse to talk about Lily. Either way, it gives me a change of subject.

"Mate, don't worry about her, she'll come round. Maybe you should relax a bit, if you start flirting with another bird she'll see what she's missing and come running back to you."

James looks at me. "I know that. I just don't have the heart to do that. And anyway, that's what I mean about my attitude regarding Lily – you seem to look like I feel, like there's someone you desperately want but can't have." He studies me for another moment as I grow hot around the collar and look around for a distraction but before he can open his mouth again, Remus and Peter come into the store to meet us.

My heart flutters again as I see how the wind has tousled Remus' hair and I grin. "Hey," I say, more to him than to Peter but Pete answers with a long-winded description of this amazing quill he just bought. I look at James so that we can roll our eyes together but he's staring at me with his eyebrows raised. I get uncomfortable. James is too perceptive. I don't like this …

Fortunately, Remus notices nothing as he tries to help Peter describe his quill so I try to act casual and hope to God James isn't giving anything away. I would look and make sure but I really don't want to meet his eye again…

Later that evening Remus stays in the Common Room to help Peter with his Transfiguration homework while James and I go out under the Invisibility Cloak to get some food from the kitchens. I try to act nonchalant but I can tell James is scrutinizing me over my falsely cheery talk about Quidditch. Finally, he obviously gets fed up trying to figure it out and stops dead, turning to face me with his arms folded. "Padfoot, what's going on?" he demands.

I stutter a bit. Head down, I mumble, "I don't know what you mean."

"Sirius, who do you like? It's obvious you like someone, I'm just not sure I know who."

My eyes widen. What am I supposed to say? He's my best mate but I can't see him accepting something this out-of-the-blue.

"Pads, I know you better than anyone. I know there's someone and you're too ashamed to tell me. But I promise I don't care, I just want to know who it is!"

Damn, he keeps using my nickname, trying to coax me into telling. Maybe if I tell him it's Remus he won't mind…and at least if he freaks out I can always pretend to be joking and that I was teaching him a lesson about bugging me…Christ he's still watching me…here goes… 

"James, I like Remus. Remus Lupin. I don't know why, but he's just been irresistible to me lately. That good enough for you?" I wait for his wide eyed "WHAT THE FUCK?" reaction but instead I look up to him biting his lip and looking thoughtful. "I thought so," he says quietly.

Damn. That's me silenced. What do you say to that?

"It's not that you've made it obvious," he continues, reassuring me when he sees my worried face. "It's just that I've noticed a slight difference in you, maybe because what you're feeling is so close to what I'm feeling. Or maybe it's just 'cause I've known you so long and usually my presence brings out the Marauder in you but today it definitely hasn't…"

I relax a tiny bit. "You're not disgusted?"

He frowns for a second then laughs. "What, because you like a guy? Of course I'm not disgusted. It's your choice, just as long as you don't drag me into any male-on-male scenarios!"

I start to laugh with him. "Don't worry, I can't see there being many male-on-male scenarios. Remus is the only guy I've ever been interested in and I can tell you that that definitely will never happen."

James sobers up again. "Well, I wouldn't rule it out completely," he says, beginning to walk again. "Remus is quite reserved when it comes to giving his opinions on chicks. We might know more if we asked his opinion on blokes but that might be a bit transparent…" he mumbles on, mostly to himself, and I wonder what he's planning. Whatever it is, I'm not sure I'll like it…

Okay guys, I know this chapter's been a bit dragged out but I have a slight writer's block at the moment. I know where I'm going with the story, I'm just finding it hard to get there… But please, keep reviewing, I'm going to keep writing and thanks for all the reviews I've got so far, it means loads!


	3. Chapter 3

Hey, you guys have been brilliant, thanks for all the comments! Sorry for being so late in updating, the next one will probably be late too as I have exams on at the moment. Well, here's chapter 3!

Once James and I had returned to the dormitory with all the sweets, cakes and Butterbeer we could carry, we all sat around James' bed laughing and joking among ourselves.

"Peter," James says suddenly, spraying crumbs out of his mouth as he speaks, "who do you think the hottest person at Hogwarts?" Peter squeaks with embarrassment then thinks for a while before finally announcing, "Jennifer Prewitt, fifth year Ravenclaw." He almost looks pleased with himself. James scoffs and Remus and I smirk at each other. After rolling his eyes, James turns to Remus. "What about you?" he demands. Remus blushes the deepest shade of pink which makes me smile and he mumbles something vague about "not really knowing".

"Oh, no, _please _don't tell me you like a Slytherin?" I ask. I'm actually more concerned about whether or not he likes a girl. He looks taken aback. "No, definitely not!" he says. James jumps in. "Ah, so there definitely is _someone_?" he asks coyly. Remus scowls. "Grow up James. Can't we talk about something else?" But James looks intent on pestering Remus until he caves so I come to his rescue.

"James, I was just wondering, surely there's no-one in the entire school that _you _could _ever_ deem the hottest person here?"

He grins, distracted. "You're right Padfoot, perhaps I haven't been quite verbal enough these past six years about the fact that I'm crazy in love with Lily Evans, and that I obviously think that _she _is the hottest person in the _universe,_ let alone Hogwarts?" We all laugh and I hit James with a pillow for being so sarcastic.

Later that night, I lie at the foot of Remus' bed, bits of pillow feathers stuck in my hair, and I can't sleep. I hear James' raspy snore, and I hear Peter's loud one. Remus is making no noise so I can't tell if he's asleep or not until he speaks.

"Sirius?"

"Mm?"

"Who do _you_ think is the hottest person at Hogwarts?" he whispers. "I don't think I've ever heard you settle on anyone in particular, but there's bound to be someone."

I feel very put on the spot and instinctively answer with sarcasm. "You really want to know?"

"Yeah," he nods as he sits up, propped on his elbow.

I grin. "Mc Gonagall. What a piece of ass," I can barely contain my smile. Remus gives a half-smile before saying, "Yeah, I thought so, you've really been making it obvious."

I grin widely at his teasing.

"Seriously though Pads. Who in this whole school would you love to have most? You can tell me!"

I just sigh. "You," I say.

He rolls his eyes. "Fine, be like that. Just forget it. I thought maybe you might trust me enough to tell me something that simple, but whatever. I'll leave you to tell James and no-one else." He lies back down. I just sit there with my heart thumping. Should I continue to let him think that it was another joke, or should I just tell him that it's true and risk him freaking out which might result in the end of our friendship?

Haha, don't you hate me for ending it there? Well, I'm going to be nice – I'm not really in the mood for studying right now so I might just post another chapter pretty soon...maybe...muahahaha


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry, I haven't forgotten about you, but at least now I only have 3 exams left! Here's chapter four, Enjoy!

Okay so I chickened out. But I figure Remus can't stay mad at me because he woke up peacefully again this morning, apparently due to my presence in his bed. I figure. But no, he soon remembers his assumption that I don't trust him and avoids me the whole morning. It's quite annoying. Especially since James has noticed. He comes up to me at break while I'm putting my charms book back in my bag and he asks, "What's going on, did you keep Moony up all night with your snoring?" I freeze. Damn, he's perceptive. James nudges me. "Seriously Pads, why's he been ignoring you all day?" he asks with more concern.

I sigh. "He asked me who I fancy at Hogwarts and I told him it was him but he thought I was kidding and got all mad because he thinks I don't trust him enough to tell him the truth." I see James biting back a smile, which does _not _improve my mood. "It's not funny James," I snap. "This is all your fault; you're the one who had to go bringing it up, who fancies who and all."

James grins apologetically. "Well, it was part of my plan! You wanted to know if he likes guys, well there you go, he does!"

I stare at him distracted. "How the hell do you figure that?" I ask.

He smiles again. "You don't really think he'd be _that _reluctant to tell us if he liked a girl do you?" He winks and walks off, leaving me spluttering after him, "That doesn't prove anything!"

Ugh. Stupid James.

Before going to bed later on, I hesitantly approach Remus. He has his back to me.

"Er, Remus?" I say, noticing that my breath moves his hair slightly, brushing lightly across his neck, creating goosebumps. I swallow just as he turns to look at me with his chestnut eyes through his long tawny eyelashes. I gulp again. He just looks at me, eyebrows raised expectantly. I clear my throat. "Do you still ... um ... want me to ... uh ...sleep in your bed tonight?" I look down, afraid of rejection. Then I hear _him _clear _his _throat awkwardly before he whispers hoarsely, "Yes, please."

I glance up again and grin hesitantly. It seems that I'm forgiven as he responds with his own awkward smile. I nod then grab my toothbrush before heading to the bathroom.

Just as we settle into bed, I do a non-verbal silencing spell around his bed so that James and Peter won't be able to hear what I'm about to do, and hope that that knowledge itself will stop me from losing my balls and make me chicken out again...

From the foot of the bed, lying on my side, I can see that Remus' eyes are still open. I take a deep breath. "Remus?"

- and there's another wee cliff-hanger for you dear readers ;) don't worry, I promise the next chapter will have a bit more action! R&R please!


	5. Chapter 5

Remus sighs softly and tilts his head to look at me. When he sees me biting my lip nervously he frowns and pulls himself up into a sitting position. As he does so, his foot grazes gently along my thigh and I stifle a groan while closing my eyes. "You okay Pads?" he asks anxiously.

I snap my eyes open. I have to do this. I look at his creased brow, worry lines wrinkling up his otherwise smooth porcelain skin and sigh. "Remus," I say again, my voice rasping. I clear my throat. "I need to tell you something ..." I stop and look at him to judge his reaction. He doesn't move, just watches me intently. I start again, trying not to look away from his concerned chestnut eyes. "I think you should know who I fancy the most in Hogwarts."

He raises his eyebrows in surprise. "That's it?" He grins slightly. "I was expecting something worse than that; you're sweating like you're on trial!" I start to bite my lip again and he falters. "You're starting to worry me Sirius...who do you like then?"

I can't help it, I look away from him. I just can't bear to look in his eyes and see the disgust and surprise and fear when I tell him. _At least Prongs and Wormtail can't hear me, _I think. "Remus, this might surprise you ..." I begin. His eyes widen slightly. "Slytherin?" he suggests.

I furrow my brow. "Ugh, definitely not." I let out my breath in a loud whoosh. "Nah, but male," I admit. I notice Remus tense. _Crap, if that's his reaction to me liking a guy, maybe I shouldn't continue..._

"Well I wasn't expecting _that_," he finally says. I look up, taken aback by his reaction. He's smiling sheepishly. "You know, Sirius Black, ladies' man and all that. You're not having me on, are you?" he demands, suddenly suspicious.

I just gape at him. "No, I'm not having you on. Are you having me on?"

Remus snorts. "What would I be having _you_ on about?"

I shrug. "About being so not-disgusted about it..?"

He looks down and mumbles something incomprehensible. "What was that?" I ask.

He clears his throat loudly and glances up at me before immediately looking down again. "I said, 'that would make me a bit hypocritical'."

I have to ponder this for a moment before the realisation hits. Then I gape at him. "You're ... gay?"

Remus blushes deeply, his pale skin turning the deepest shade of pink, making his white scars more prominent along his jaw. "Don't tell the other two, will you?" I shake my head in disbelief. "As long as you don't tell them about me." He looks at me and I grin, my heart starting to race now that I realise he likes guys too. _Maybe he'll like me... _But I can't let myself think that ... I don't want to get my hopes up for them to come crashing down around me. _Too late._

Remus smiles back at me, appeased. "So, who is this 'male' that has taken your fancy then?"

Yikes. I forgot I still had to explain that part. "Well, it's kind of awkward to explain..." I begin to say. "You see, the guy is a good friend of mine and I'm scared of how he might react..." I glance at him swiftly and take heart from his understanding, reassuring expression and continue, "but I like him so much that every time I see him he just looks so _beautiful _and there's just something so _tender _about him that shows he can take care of himself but at the same time makes me want to be able to look after him."

I sigh and look back at him. He looks slightly defeated and I wonder if he's guessed that I'm talking about him. He catches my eye and puts his smile back on. "So who is this beautiful, tender boy then?" My heart rate accelerates. Here goes...

I lick my lips. "_You_, Remus. I like _you_. A lot." I sigh again. "A whole lot."

There's silence for a few seconds. I chance a look at his face and he's staring at me. "Are you for real?" he asks. "Because if this is a joke, it's not funny."

My eyes widen. "Remus I just opened my heart to you! I'm not kidding; I'm definitely not trying to be funny. The way you always try to hide your scars when I'm the one who tries to stop you getting them in the first place, the way you're so modest and always reading is just so ... so _irresistible_ especially when you lick your thumb to turn a page." He looks shocked that I've been studying him in such detail. "You always make us feel bad for playing horrible pranks but laugh with us when we play funny ones and god Remus, your _laugh_! You have no idea, your laugh is just your personality all bundled into one little action, it's shy but strong and it sends tingles down my neck just _thinking _about it." I stop there, too scared of rejection to go on. I chew my lip and wait for him to speak as he's just gazing at me with a bewildered expression on his face.

After a moment his face softens and he gives a small smile. "Was there anything else?" he teases. I exhale the breath I've been holding and crawl across the bed towards him. "Of course," I say, relieved. "I could go on for hours. Especially about how much I would love to touch your soft lips and trace your beautiful scars." I demonstrate by reaching out a hand and trailing my fingers softly along his jawbone. I can't even tell if he's breathing anymore, he's just frozen, staring at me. I take the opportunity to lean across slowly and I gently and very lightly press my lips against his. Just for a second. Then I pull back slightly to let him decide if he wants more. His eyes are closed, his lips slightly parted. The sight makes me want to moan with pleasure. But I keep quiet, waiting for his reaction.

He lets out a long breath and slowly opens his eyes. "You're really not joking," he says, and smiles when I shake my head. His voice comes out in a whisper, "I thought when you started talking about the person you like being beautiful and tender that I'd have no hope, I didn't even want to fool myself that it'd be me..." He sighs and hesitantly leans closer to my face. I eagerly comply by closing the gap and kissing him again, and this time he kisses me back, hungrily.

I wake up in the morning to find my arms wrapped around Remus, whose back is to me, and I groan inwardly when I realise that I'm hard as a rock, violating the back of Remus' thigh. Thank God he's still asleep.


End file.
